All That Ever Mattered, Block Head
by A-BondofFlame-R
Summary: Their secrets are eating away at them. "Sora...I thought I lost you for good!" Terrible summary, Soriku.


**Okay, so I'm taking a change from the awesomest pair evah. Who is in their place? The SECOND cutest pair, Sora and Riku. TeeHee. I dreamt this up, don't ask…so…yeh.**

He smiled at the feeling between his toes. The sand of Destiny Islands was a familiar comfort to the brunette teenager, but it was also something he hadn't felt in ages. His journeys to save the universe didn't exactly lead him to his home island -or allow time for it, for that matter. The sun was warming the particles between his toes, and he dug his feet into it.

"Geez, Sora. Are you gonna just wiggle your feet in the sand, or finally come into the water with me?" Riku demanded, already out to his knees in the crystalline water. Sora looked up and into the ocean to find his silver haired friend. The younger boy smiled at him sadly, and looked back down.

"Um…actually Riku…I think I'll just stay on the shore…you know…to, uh…make sure…uh….yeah," he mumbled. A platinum eyebrow rose, and his friend strode up to the shore to examine him.

"Sora, you love the water. What's wrong with you? Do you have a fever?" The boy's thin hands ran over the brunette's face. Then deciding that using his hands wasn't accurate because his hands were wet, Riku lowered his cheek to rest on Sora's own.

"Well…Sora…you're a bit warm but that's just probably from the sun…what's wrong? Did Kairi tell you that you were worthless again?" Riku's icy aqua eyes searched sapphire; looking for something wrong in the face between his hands. A blush painted itself on the smaller boy's face. He slowly let out his breath.

"Riku…I…well…it's embarrassing…" he looked up to meet vivid eyes, hopeful yet lost.

"Its okay, Sora. I'll understand. You can tell me...I promise I won't hold it against you." His voice was low and comforting. A faint tint of pink was on his thin, pale cheek bones.

"Well…Riku…we, uh, we had to save A-atlantica and well, there…you have fins…'cause everyone there is a mermaid or mer-guy…so...I uh…s-sorta forgot how to swim without my fins…" Sora looked up at Riku and saw something flicker across his face. It was gone too quickly for Sora to recognize it, but then his best friend chuckled quietly.

"Oh, Sora. Don't worry, I'll teach you. Hmm…looks like we're repeating history, huh Sora?" The silver haired boy smiled down at him, referring to when Sora first learned how to swim.

"Well…actually Riku…I'm still afraid of the water…you know…after that whole sea witch thing," he was rubbing his arm in embarrassment, "What if she comes to get me, Riku? She could've reincarnated, and then she just happened to end up in this ocean, and then she'll find me looking for revenge, and then-"his lips were stopped by a finger. During his little confession, Sora had started looking at his bare feet, but now once again looked up to his friend.

"Sora, don't you remember? Hades has their souls locked up. I don't think he'd exactly forgive Ursula of all people, especially because that witch betrayed him. Come on, Sora. Just take my hand and you won't drown, okay?" The taller of the two extended his arm, his face bright.

Sora grinned back at him, hiding his remaining fear, and graciously took the boy's slender hand. They waded into the water together, Sora's hand still in Riku's grasp. Even though he didn't understand, Sora felt his heart swell. It all together confused the poor child. The water lapped up against their legs, rising higher and higher as their distance from the shore heightened. Once they were in deep enough where they could actually swim, Riku whispered softly,

"Sora, kick your legs back and forth. There…yes, that's it. Now I'm going to let go of your hand-don't worry, I'll still hold on to you until you've got it- and then you just wave your arms up and down…okay, I'm going to let go now Sora." When he released his grasp, the younger boy's eyes widened in fear, and then widened tenfold. Riku was now supporting Sora by his waist. Even though the silver haired boy's hands were now resting on his sides, Sora was swimming again. By himself. Riku smiled down at him, taking his hands away. Grinning, he congratulated his friend.

"You've got it, Sora! Great job. C'mon, I'll race you to our island!" The brunette grinned back at him, knowing where they were headed even after the whole 'let's save the world' mess. The island his friend spoke of was farther out in the sea, past the small island filled with papous, past where Kairi and her boyfriend Tidus held their make out sessions. It was a small strip of land where only he and Riku ever came. In fact, only the two of them knew its actual location. Sora swam after his friend, glad things were starting to get back to the way they were.

Riku was swimming far ahead of Sora; all that time he was in Xehanort's body really made him shape up or screw up. A voice called out to him.

"Hey, Riku! Going off to finally propose to Sora on your romantic little island, hmm?" The boy glared up at the voice. The voice that used to be his friend. _Sora's _friend.

"In your dreams, Kairi. I'm just trying to piece together what you broke, you ungrateful little bitch." His voice was dripping with a mixture of emotions. Somewhere, one would have found resentment, hatred, fury, and a few other variations. Riku deeply hated the worthless, conniving bundle of lies. Ever since they had been reunited back on their home, Kairi had treated Sora like he was nothing, just one of her little pawns. She broke him, and for weeks all he could even bear to do was latch onto Riku and sob desperately. He had scourged the world for his friend, and she treated him like this. It was repulsive.

Then Riku remembered Sora. He hadn't heard him yelling taunts at him, and hadn't heard any other splashes save his own for a minute or two. His heart raced in panic, and he dove under the water.

Opening his eyes, burned, burned so badly, but he knew it wouldn't be anything compared to the pain if Sora died. Turning his head and body frantically, Riku searched for a mop of brown hair. Out in the distance, he saw a flash of dark color, swimming towards it urgently. As he neared the spot where he'd seen the color, his friend's image cleared up. Riku wrapped an arm around Sora's waist and hoisted them up toward the sky.

His face broke the surface. The older boy was filling his lungs while lugging his friend towards the shore. Apparently Riku had been in thought for far too long, for his friend had far surpassed him on their way to the island. Sand was in sight, driving Riku to kick harder.

Dragging his friend's lifeless body onto the sand, he checked for a pulse. There still was a faint beating, but it was dangerously soft. Riku pumped his fists into Sora's chest- one, two, three, four. Opening the younger boy's mouth, the older breathed his being into his child hood friend. Repeating the process, Riku did something he thought he would never do. Hot tears started streaming down his face as he tried to revive the brunette, his mind screaming at him that this was all his fault. He never should have made Sora swim; he never should have raced him to this island. The boy was about to give up on that cliché moment when he breathed into his friend and he woke up. Then the frame underneath his mouth spluttered.

"Nnngh….Ri...Riku…." His azure eyes flickered open, taking in the closeness between himself and his best friend. The last thing he remembered was starting to mock Riku, and then swallowing a tremendous amount of water…he must've passed out. His face was dry except for a few random spots, and he wondered why.

"Oh, Sora, I should've paid more attention! I…I was sure you were long gone, and here you are…Oh, I'm so sorry Sora…" The brunette looked up into the speaker's ultramarine eyes. Wait a second, were his eyes glossy and wet? Was the skin around them red and puffy? That was…extraordinary. Riku never cried. Nope, never. Once when they were little, Riku had cut his forehead open by tripping on the beach. He didn't cry then, and he didn't when he had to get the fourteen stitches to help heal the gash. What WAS going on today?!

"Riku…don't cry…I'm not dead…" he wanted to say more, but his voice was raspy. He felt himself being pulled up into a sitting position. Long, bare arms wound themselves around his waist, and a hand found its way to his messy hair.

"I swear Sora…" He inhaled rather shakily. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, you block head." Sora laughed quietly at his friend. A pair of lips turned into a small smile against his hair. The younger weaved his arms around the taller male's shoulders.

"Riku, I never took you as the emotional type, you know?" Said emotional teen slid away from Sora.

He thought that he was gone forever. Just…gone. The emptiness had filled him again, that familiar feeling whenever Sora was upset and he couldn't help, or even when Sora was gone. When he was trying to rescue Sora, Namine` had always tried to help him understand. But obviously, the blond female wasn't alive anymore. The fact that such a nice girl could be the other of Kairi was astounding. But still, the petite girl had made him realize exactly how he felt. How he felt about Sora, that is. Apparently, that 'brotherly love' he and the brunette shared meant something entirely different to him. Or, he WANTED it to mean more.

Since Sora had been revived, the two had laid back on the sand to watch the clouds trudge across the sky. They'd entangled their hands together, just as they had when they were little, and soon Riku noticed Sora start to shiver.

"Are you cold, Sora? Maybe that whole swallowing sea water thing wasn't good for your health." Flipping his spikes toward him, he grimaced.

"Y-yea. I mean, I totally expected swallowing a gallon of sea water would make me awesomely handsome…Man, I guess that crosses that off the list of things said to make me pretty," he teased, trying to get the boy to smile again.

"Sora, you're beautiful as you are. Come here, or else you'll freeze and get sick." Riku released his grasp on the smaller boy's hand and motioned with his arm for him to move into him. The smaller of the two scooted over, making himself comfortable on the warm chest. His tiny hand rested on said chest, and the other lay at his side. Riku slid his arm around Sora's back to increase the warmth.

"Sora…do you ever…wish you could tell somebody something that you knew could hurt them? Or hurt you both?" he whispered, trying to contain the desperation in his voice as not to worry his friend. That friend blinked once or twice slowly in thought before responding.

"Yea, Riku, I have. It really sucks, knowing you can't tell anybody, not even the one person you really wanna tell 'cuz they'll never ever speak to you again." Sighing in unison, they laughed together.

"Ah, well. Maybe it's for the best, you know? I guess…maybe it was never meant to be," Riku whispered dejectedly. Sora moved his hand from his side to the other male's hand in comfort.

"Don't worry Riku. I know how you feel…really. I mean…the whole…Kairi thing…" He trembled involuntarily at the thought. He knew he'd always been sensitive, and maybe a little clingy, but Kairi's betrayal was too much. She was the only one he could ever tell, the only one who wouldn't judge. But now she hated him, hated him with such a fiery passion no one could understand that Sora was afraid she'd let the cat out of the bag. If that ever happened, he was doomed.

Even before the trio had been swept off the island they called home, Sora had been thinking some pretty weird thoughts. About _him. _ It wasn't that he didn't find girls attractive, and it wasn't that he was drawn to other boys. Just that one in particular. If that malicious girl did end up telling him…

'_He'd never speak to me again-'_

'_Maybe I should tell him myself-'_

'_So I can at least-'_

'_Explain the way I feel-'_

'_In person, so maybe-'_

'_He won't hate me-'_

'_As much. Sigh.'_

'_I've got to tell him-'_

'_It's the only way.'_

Both boys spoke softly, at the same time, the same words.

"I have something to say." The speakers sat up, looking at each other's faces and smiling. Being the perfect gentleman he was, Riku nodded for the brunette to continue his speech. Said boy tried swallowing before trying again, but the effort was pointless; his throat was immensely dry.

"Well, uh, Riku…we were talking about how we really wanted to say something to someone. Well, I figure, there's a chance he'll hate me either way…but I think if I tell him, maybe then he won't hate me as much…So, Riku…what I'm trying to say is…um….I-I think that I…erm…" He trailed off, his voice shaky and cheeks flushed. The silver haired boy cocked his head. Sora was either very nervous, or very afraid. He didn't stutter otherwise. What in the world could be such a devastating revelation that Sora would actually stumble on his words? When he finally regained his words, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"I think…that I love you as more than a brother Riku. I think it's much more, but please don't hate me!!! Please, I mean, I c-can change, or I could, um, pretend I don't, if that would work for you! But you can't leave me, I-mmrrmph!" His friend held his hand pressed to the other boy's mouth, keeling over with laughter. Sora shot him a death glare while his eyes started to betray him. Batting the hand away, he yelled at the cackling youth.

"This isn't funny Riku! How can you laugh at something like this! I mean…I..I…" Those traitor eyes of his had gotten his voice and lungs to conspire against him, and he was now sobbing. Riku snapped his head up to examine the crying boy.

"Oh, crap, no Sora…Aw, come on, please stop crying." He wrapped his arms around the boy, trying to calm him down.

"You didn't get to hear what I had to say." Sora looked up at him, tears still running down his face, to face the truth. He knew it was rejection, one of those 'it's not you, it's me' bullshit runs. Then after that it'd be one excuse after the other in an attempt to avoid him. 'Oh, my mom wanted me home early.' 'My dog is sick.' 'I just plain don't-

"I feel the same way about you, Sora. And I have from day one." A fine shade of pink painted his pale cheeks, making him look down to the slim body in his arms. The pair stood on the sand for fair amount of time, just embracing each other and bathing in the feeling of relief they shared. Neither had to hide their secret any more, and neither had to pretend.

"Riku?" The brunette lifted his gaze to stare into cyan eyes. The owner of the aquamarine eyes hummed in response.

"You never did tell me how come you took Xehanort's Nobody's form…" his voice was laced with poorly disguised curiosity. Riku chuckled at his little Sora, thinking of the phrase curiosity killed the cat.

"Well, Sora, I wanted to save you. But for me to save you, I had to defeat Roxas…but the only way I had a chance was to embrace the darkness within my heart. Doing so gave me that form, but I knew I'd take it if it meant I could see you awake and happy again."

"But…why me? You could have easily done so for Kairi, or…Selphie."

"Because, you block head. I wanted you safe. Before you ask why again, I'll answer for you. Remember how you said that deep down in all darkness there is light? Well, you are my light, Sora. Us being together was the only thing that ever mattered to me, love." Sora picked up on the last word, smirking at the knowledge that his friend was too stubborn to actually admit his feelings first, or at all.

"I love you too."

**Okay…so..uh…yea. Totally forgot what I was gonna say. Oh yes, I do have another two stories I'm currently typing. And I figured I might as well post this one first. If anyone can proofread my stuff for me, please, please tell me. I'm horrible at it. Thanks! Reviews=Goodness.**

**Kingdom Hearts is not in any way shape or form mine.**


End file.
